Web storage means



May 28, 1968 A. F. SHIELDS 3,385,495

wEB STORAGE MEANS Filed July 25, 1966 United States Patent Oce 3,335,495 Patented May 28, i568 3,385,495 WEB STORAGE MEANS Albert F. Shields, 43 Exeter St.,

Forest Hills, NY. 11375 Filed July 25, 1966, Ser. No. 567,533 Claims. (Cl. 226-95) The instant invention relates to apparatus for the production of double faced corrugated board and in particular relates to the section of such apparatus between the single facer and double backer where single faced web material is stored prior to having the second liner applied.

Double faced corrugated board is manufactured by corrugating a web and uniting same with a first liner in a single facer to produce single face board. Thereafter, the single face board is united with a second liner in a double backer to produce double faced board. While operations of the single facer and double backer are coordinated to a great extent, for practical reasons the single facer should not be stopped or operated at very slow speeds when it becomes necessary to stop the double backer or operate same at very slow speeds as during order changeovers. Conversely, it is often desirable to operate the double backer faster than the single facer.

Thus, corrugating apparatus of this type is provided with a bridge between the single facer and double hacker for the storage of single face material during those intervals when the double backer must be slowed down. Single face boards accumulated in the storage device is also available during those intervals when the double backer demands material at a faster rate than it is being produced by the single facer,

In the prior art the storage section between the double backer and single facer was constructed in such a manner that the single face board was formed into folds or loops which accumulated in a stack. Folds of single face board were added to the top of the stack and board being fed to the double hacker was drawn away from the bottom of the stack. It was found that the weight of the stack resulted in excessive resistance to removal of single face material from the storage device causing damage to the material and/ or interference with operation of the double hacker.

In order to overcome this disadvantage of the prior art the instant invention provides a storage device in which the web of single face board is formed into a stack fed from the bottom and material is drawn off the top of the stack and fed to the double backer. This is accomplished by providing a suction belt conveyor positioned above and confronting a lower conveyor operated at a slightly greater speed than the suction conveyor. Single face boards fed into the storage device is directed toward the suction conveyor which operates at a much slower speed than the input conveyor so that the lirst portion of the web material to engage the suction conveyor remains in engagement therewith but material following is directed downward to form a loop tip supported by the lower conveyor. Material following is again supported by the suction conveyor so that a series of loops are formed with the upper tips thereof held by suction against the suction conveyor and the lower tips thereof supported by the lower conveyor. Since the lower conveyor is operated at a faster speed than the suction conveyor, the lower loop tips move toward the double backer faster than the upper loop tips. In this manner, at the forward end of the storage device the loops are formed into a stack fed from below. Single face web material fed to the double backer is drawn from the stack at the top thereof and as a result this withdrawal is not resisted by the weight of the stack.

Accordingly, a primary object of the instant invention is to provide novel storage means for web material where material is simultaneously fed in and removed from the storage means simultaneously even at different rates.

Still another object is to provide a storage means of this type in which the web material is formed into loops fed to the bottom of a stack with material being drawn from the top of the stack.

Still another object is to provide a storage means of this type including a suction conveyor positioned above and spaced from a lower conveyor with the suction conveyor engaging the upper loop tips and the lower loop tips being supported by the lower conveyor.

A further object is to provide a storage means of this type in which the lower conveyor is operated at a faster' speed than the upper conveyor to facilitate feeding of loops to the bottom of the stack.

These as well as other objects of the instant invention will become readily apparent after reading the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is schematic representation of apparatus for the production of double face board.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation in schematic form of the storage means of FIGURE 1 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the instant invention.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a portion of the suction conveyor belt.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the grid forming bars at the bottom of the suction chamber.

Now referring to the figures and more particularly to FIGURE l which illustrates, in block diagram form, apparatus for producing double face board B from webs of paper 1i, 12, 13 supplied by rolls i4, 15, 16, respectively. Web 12, as it leaves roll 15, is fed into the rear of single facer 17 where the fiat web 12 is transformed into corrugated web 12C. Single facer 17 also unites corrugated web 12C with liner 1l to produce web 18 of single face board fed into the rear of web storage section 25. Construction of section 25 will hereinafter be described in detail with particular reference to FIGURE 2.

Web 18 leaves storage section 25 at the front thereof (at the right with respect to FIGURE 3) and is fe-d into double -backer 19 together with liner 13. Web 18 and liner 13 are combined by dou-ble backer 19 with the combination after feeding through curing section 21 issuing as dou- 'ble face board B fed to additional apparatus including a cut-off (not shown) which cuts web B transversely transforming the latter into sheets.

Now referring more particularly to FIGURE 2 which shows Idetails of web storage section 25. For lthe sake of simplicity, in FIGURE 3 web 18 of single face board is illustrated by a single line. Upon entering section 25, web 13 is carried upward between the belts of sandwich-type input conveyor 27 which deiivers web 1S t-o the lower flight of suction conveyor `belt 28 at the rear end thereof (rat the left with respect to FIGURE 3).

Suction belt 2S is a closed loop member passing over sprockets 31, 32. Each of the sprockets 31, 32 consists of two sections spaced on opposite sides of the web feed path in driving engagement with the teeth 29 along the longitudinal edges of belt 28 (see FIGURE 3). Suction chamber 33 is disposed between the upper and lower flights of belt 2S extending substantially from sprocket 31 to sprocket 32. The lower ight of conveyor 2'7 is adjacent to grill 34 constituting the bott-om wal-l of chamber 33. Belt 2S is provided with transverse sections 35 having a plurality of perforaticns through which suction is applied through belt 28 to hold portions of single face web i8 against the lower or working flight of 4belt 28.

It is noted that in FIGURE 3 grill 34 is shown merely in schematic form. In its physical embodiment grill 34 consists of a plurality of longitudinally extending bars spaced transversely across storage section 25. The cor- 3 rugations of web 12C, being transverse to the blars of grill 34, provide sufiicient strength for web 18 to withstand the effects of suction holding forces tending to draw web into chamber 33.

As seen in FIGURE 3, transversely extending perforated sections 35 are spaced along the longitudinal axis of belt 28. Sections 36 of belt 28 between perforated sections 35 are not porous so that the suction applied through web 34 acts on web 18 only at perforated sections 35. Belt 25 is driven at a slower speed than conveyor 27. Thus, those sections of web 18 issuing from conveyor 25 which do not engage perforated -belt sections 35 are much greater in length than the solid sections 36 adjacent to perforated sections 35. Because of this web 18 is formed into loops whose lower tips 18a extend downward to engage and be supported by the upper iiight of lower conveyor lbelt 38 extending around sprockets 41, 42. The upper loop tips 18b are maintained in engagement with belt 28 at spaced perforated areas 35 by means of suction provided through chamber 33.

Lower belt 38 operates at a faster speed than upper belt 28 so that lower loop tips 18a move along at a faster speed than upper loop tips 18h. Thus, the loops closest to the rear (left of FIGURE 2) of belt Z8 appear to have vertical sides and as each loop moves forward its sides assume a lesser angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal.

The suction force is essentially non-existant inthe region of forward sprocket 32 so that as upper `loop tips 18b reach this region they are released. However, lower belt 38 extends more forwardly than upper belt 28 so that lower loop tips 18a continue to move forward further reducing the angle of inclination for the loop sides. Forward movement of lower loop tips 18a is arrested by vertical barrier 51 extending upward at the forward end of conveyor 38. This results in the formation of a stack of loops 50 consisting of single face web 18 with the stack 50 being supplied from the bottom. In being drawn from the top of stack 50 single face web passes over forward idler 49 and is fed to double backer 19 without being impeded by the weight of stack 50.

It should now be apparent to those skilled in the art that the speeds of conveyors 27, 28, 38 are coordinated )and are in time relationship with respect to single facer 17. Naturally, the number of loops in stack 50 increases during those periods of operation when single facer 17 produces single face web 18 at a rate faster than that demanded by double backer 19. Conversely the number of loops in stack 50 decreases during those periods of operation when the demand by double backer 19 exceeds the supply of single face web 18 being produced by single facer 17.

Thus, it is seen that the instant invention provides a novel web storage section in which web material is being fed in on a substantially continuous basis with the input and output rates not necessarily being equal. In particular, the web storage section of the instant invention provides means whereby web material entering the storage section is formed into loops which enter a vertical stack from below 4thereby enabling materia-l to be drawn from the top of the stack without being impeded by the weight of the stack.

bodiment of this novel invention, many variations and modifications will now be apparent to those skilled in the nrt. Therefore, this invention is to be limited, not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appending claims,

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive privilege or property is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Storage apparatus for material in the form of a moving web including a first conveyor, a second conveyor positioned below said first conveyor, said first and second conveyors including respective first and second Although there has been described a preferred emweb engaging sections, said sections being generally horizontal and disposed in spaced confronting relationship, an input conveyor at the rear of said apparatus, said input conveyor delivering a web entering said apparatus to said first section, suction means acting through said first section to support a web after delivery thereof by said input conveyor to said first section, driving means moving said first section forward at a speed suliiciently slower than the speed of said input conveyor whereby a web leaving said input conveyor forms loops moving toward the front of said apparatus with lower tips of said loops supported by said second section and upper tips of said loops supported by suction applied through said first section.

2. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said first conveyor includes means for limiting application of suction through said first section to a plurality of selected areas of said frst conveyor, said areas extending transverse to the line of movement of said first section and `spaced along said line of movement whereby upper tips of said loops are held against said first section only at said selected areas.

3. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said second conveyor operates at a speed intermediate the respective speeds of said first and said input conveyors whereby said lower tips move faster than said upper tips with the result that as each of said loops moves forward its angle of inclination with respect to the horizontal decreases.

4. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which as each of the upper loops reach the forward end of said first section the application of suction force holding such loop to said first section is removed from such loop thereby permitting such loop to move upward in a vertical stack of loops positioned at the forward end of said second section.

5. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which there is a barrier at the forward end of said first section, said barrier limiting forward movement of loop entering said stack.

6. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 5 also including means above said barrier defining an exit at which material is drawn from said stack at the top thereof.

7. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which said first conveyor in-cludes a continuous belt having a lower generally horizontal flight constituting said first section, said belt having alternate first and second type transversely extending areas, said second areas being essentially non-porous, said first areas being porous to permit suction to be applied through said belt to hold upper tips of said loops against said first section only at said first areas.

8. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 7 in which said second conveyor includes another continuous belt having an upper generally horizontal flight constituting said `second section.

9. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 7 in which said first section also includes a porous stationary sup port means positioned above said lower generally horizontal iiight with the latter in contact therewith.

10. Storage apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which said stationary support means includes a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending generally parallel bars.

FOREIGN PATENTS 236,896 11/1964 Austria. 1,237,591 6/1960 France.

EDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. STORAGE APPARATUS FOR MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF A MOVING WEB INCLUDING A FIRST CONVEYOR, A SECOND CONVEYOR POSITIONED BELOW SAID FIRST CONVEYOR, SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONVEYORS INCLUDING RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND WEB ENGAGING SECTIONS, SAID SECTIONS BEING GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AND DISPOSED IN SPACED CONFRONTING RELATIONSHIP, AN INPUT CONVEYOR AT THE REAR OF SAID APPARATUS, SAID INPUT CONVEYOR DELIVERING A WEB ENTERING SAID APPARATUS TO SAID FIRST SECTION, SUCTION MEANS ACTING THROUGH SAID FIRST SECTION TO SUPPORT A WEB AFTER DELIVERY THEREOF BY SAID INPUT CONVEYOR TO SAID FIRST SECTION, DRIVING MEANS MOVING SAID FIRST SECTION FORWARD AT A SPEED SUFFICIENTLY SLOWER THAN THE SPEED OF SAID INPUT CONVEYOR WHEREBY A WEB LEAVING SAID INPUT CONVEYOR FORMS LOOPS MOVING TOWARD THE FRONT OF SAID APPARATUS WITH LOWER TIPS OF SAID LOOPS SUPPORTED BY SAID SECOND SECTION AND UPPER TIPS OF SAID LOOPS SUPPORTED BY SUCTION APPLIED THROUGH SAID FIRST SECTION. 